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By Albert Smith

THE creep properties of metals have as-sumed increasing importance in recent years and many investigations have been made on various phases of the problem. In the past year the annual lectures of the Insti-tute of Metals Division1 and the Iron and Steel Division2 were concerned with this subject, and are excellent reviews. For many years the creep properties of lead and lead alloys have been investigated at the Central Research Laboratories of the American Smelting and Refining Co., and it is hoped that the present paper will contribute knowledge of some of the factors that influ-ence creep. Lead, being a metal that recrys-tallizes readily at room temperature, is an excellent material upon which to investi-gate creep phenomena because of the sim-plicity of the apparatus needed, and it might be expected that results would apply to some extent to elevated-temperature tests of other metals.

Jan 1, 1940

By D. V. Carter, Dan C. Williams, John R. Coombs

Exploration was active in East and East Central Texas during 1944. Ten oil fields were discovered during the year, of which four show promise of development. The discovery wells of the Sand Flat and Tyler, South fields were drilled to a depth greater than 10,000 ft., and the latter field now produces from the Pettit at a depth of 9890 ft. The Sand Flat well was plugged back to the Paluxy. The other two fields are Glen Rose producers near 8000 ft. The Pickton field produces from the Bacon Lime and Winnsboro from the Rodessa section. The Eylau field, Bowie County, was significant as the first Smackover production in Texas. Magnolia drilled a test in the Concord field, which topped salt. The most extensive and significant development in the district was the Carthage gas-condensate field. It expanded from the 8000 acres of last year to an estimated 190,000 acres, or about 300 sq. miles, and is not defined as yet. The first oil production in the Carthage area was made from the Travis Peak in 1944 in the Rogers Lacy's Cameron Lumber Company well No. I, on the northwestern side of the field. The New Hope field, Franklin County, scored the largest number of completions during 1944 with 24, bringing its total number of wells to 27. Two more pays were opened and produced as dual completions with the older horizons. The Manziel field, Wood County, had 19 new wells added during the year, for a total of 29, while the Pittsburgh field, Camp County, reached a total of 23 wells by completing 14 new ones. Material shortages and drilling restrictions dropped the total number of producing wells completed in the district from 171 during 1943 to 141 for 1944. Abandonments increased from 531 during 1943 to 609 for 1944. Of this number, 479 were in the East Texas field. Subsidy payments had very little effect in the district and it was mostly a few of the old fault-line fields that had any wells to fall within the requirements for subsidy payments. The prices of crude oil remained constant in the district except for increases as a result of subsidy payments. Production and Probation Wartime demands called for increased allowables for many fields, consequently the condensate and oil production for 1944 increased to 190,016,180, which is up 6.9 per cent over 1943. The East Texas field, of course, remained the principal producer of the district, accounting for 134,768'499 bbl. during the year, or 71 per cent of the district total production of condensate and oil. The field topped its own 1943 production by 4.8 per cent and became the first field in the world to produce 2 billion barrels of oil. The Hawkins field remained the second largest oil producer in the district, with 13,317,088 bbl. for the year, a drop of 6.8 per cent from 1943, while Van field was third with 11,635,708 bbl. The

Jan 1, 1945

By H. Reiss

The zone-melting process in which redistribution of solute in a solid bar is effected by the passage of a molten zone is considered mathematically. Simple approximate techniques are developed for computing the manner in which redistribution occurs as molten zones continue to pass. The introduction of the "zone-melting flux" provides valuable insight into the nature of the phenomenon, as well as a central mathematical theme in terms of which the process can be discussed. Curves are presented for typical and general cases. AN extremely efficient purification technique was described recently by Pfann.1 Known as zone refining, it consisted of the slow passage of a series of molten zones, produced by external heaters, through a long solid ingot of the substance to be purified. Equations were given for the maximum separation attainable, and a numerical computation method was described for obtaining the concentration in the ingot after a given number of zone passes. The present paper offers an interpretation of the physical nature of zone melting in terms of a transport process in which formal diffusive and convec-tive flows occur. This interpretation, in addition to providing insight into the physical nature of the process, also provides a basis for its mathematical treatment. From this basis, useful equations are developed for the solute concentration in the ingot as a function of the number of zone passes. These are applicable particularly where large numbers of passes are necessary and where numerical computational methods might be laborious. All considerations will deal with the limiting form of the process, described by Pfann,' in which: 1—Diffusion in the solid is considered negligible. 2—Mixing in the liquid is supposed, complete. 3—The distribution coefficient, k, measuring the ratio (at equilibrium) of solute concentration in the solid to that in the liquid is supposed, independent of composition. In general, this paper will be concerned with a bar of uniform (actually unit) cross section, ex- tending in the x-direction from x = 0 to x = L, where L may be infinite. Zone melting is a transport process, and as such must admit of interpretation in terms of a flux of transported quantity. However, the progress of operation is not measured in units of time but in terms of the number of completed zone passes. Consequently, the zone-melting flux will be a rate, per unit pass, rather than per unit time. The description of this flux and the examination of its properties is given below. Zone-Melting Flux Fig. 1 represents an intermediate stage of the nth pass. Concentration C is plotted against distance, x. The molten zone with its back at the point x and front at x + I moves in the direction indicated by the arrow. As it moves, it leaves behind the nth

Jan 1, 1955

By Alexander Squire

One of the principal factors that have contributed to the hesitancy of design engineers to use metal-powder parts is the difficulty experienced in the determination of the mechanical properties of compacted components. Because standard test methods cannot usually be applied in the inspection of such parts, and because adequate special test methods have not been developed, it has been considered desirable to investigate the methods that are applicable. These may then be included in specifications for metal-powder materials and components in order that the design engineer may be assured that the subject parts possess the desired mechanical properties for satisfactory performance. It is known that direct relationships exist between usually nonmeasurable properties as tensile strength and elongation and shear strength and the angle through which compacts may be plastically deformed before fracturing. These correlations are valuable in the inspection of specific parts, but it is necessary to set up standards before they may be satisfactorily employed. Apart from the use of correlations, the number and character of the inspection methods that are applicable to almost all powder parts is limited to three—chemical analysis, density, and hardness. The last of these may or may not be a pertinent characteristic, since the indentation hardness of many powdeied-metal materials is so low as to have little significance. It is, however, occasionally desirable to use hardness measurements as an indication of the uniformity of the structure of pieces of a given type. Chemical analysis reveals very little about the physical properties of metal-powder compacts, since the unpressed powder is usually of a composition almost identical with that of the finished pieces. Density determinations are simple to perform and have the advantage of being nondestructive in character. If the dimensions of a machine part are known (and usually they are), the average density may be determined by weighing a given number of pieces and dividing by the calculated volume of the parts. More accurate measurements may be made by the water-displacement method. It is recognized that mechanical properties of metal-powder materials are related to their density, but usually these relations are determined for only one type of powder, processed under a given set of conditions. Comparisons of the pioperties of compacts formed from different types of powders are made on the basis of compacting pressures instead of density, and for this reason the results obtained by using powders of different types appear widely variant.

Jan 1, 1947

Continued Discussion of the papers of Van Hise, Emmons, Weed and Lindgren, Bans., xxx., 27, 177, 424, 578. See also the papers of Vogt, Kemp, Rickard, Blake and Lindgren, at pp. 125, 169, 198, 220, 226, and also the final contribution of Prof. Van Hise, p. 284 of the present volume. All the foregoing, together with the discussion here following, are included in the special volume, "The Genesis of Ore-Deposits," issued this year by the Institute. H. Foster Bain, Des Moines, Iowa (communication to the Secretary):* The zinc- and lead-deposits of the Mississippi valley, which it has been my fortune to study, give particularly good examples of many of the principles of ore-deposition formulated by Prof. Van Hise. Perhaps there is nowhere clearer evidence supporting his fundamental tenet., that ore-bodies are to be regarded as a result, and as merely one of the phases, of the work of underground waters. The facts regarding the mines of the upper Mississippi valley have been given in some detail for Wisconsin by Prof. Chamberlint and, more recently, for the mines west. of the Mississippi by the Iowa Geological Survey.‡ Fortunately, also, the processes of underground water-circulation have been studied in some detail in connection with the investigation of artesian waters throughout the region.$ In Missouri and Arkansas the mines and ore-bodies have been much studied ; but the general problems of the circulation of underground waters have been neglected. During the season just closed the writer has been engaged in a re-study for the United States Geological Survey of the zinc- and lead-deposits of the Ozark region, with special reference to those of the . Joplin area; and his full report is now in preparation. It has been interesting to note how fully the statement that the orebodies result from the general action of underground waters is

Jan 1, 1902

By J. L. Ratliff, R. I. Jaffee, H. R. Ogden, D. J. Maykuth

An experimental program was carried out to improve the low-temperature ductjlity of tungsten through the combined use of dispersed oxides for grain-size control and Groups VII and VIII metal additions for matrix softening. Separate binary -alloy studies showed that increasing amounts of finely dispersed thoria or zirconia and critical amounts of rhenium, osmium, and iridium were effective in significantly reducing the ductile-to -brittle bend transition temperature of tungsten as well as in increasing its re crystallization temper - LIKE most of the high-melting point bcc metals, tungsten undergoes a marked transition from ductile to brittle behavior with decreasing temperatures. The material factors which influence the transition temperature include grain size, metal purity, and the presence of dispersed phases. ature and decreasing its recrystallized grain size. The beneficial effects shown by each of these additions on transition temperature and grain size in binary combinations appeared to be additive in tevnary combinations. Thus, combined additions of 2 to 8 vol pct thoria with 5 pct Re, 0.87 pct Os, or 0.30 pct Ir were effective in lowering the transition temperature of tungsten pom 2000 to 75"C, increasing its re crystallization temperature from 1600 to 1800°C, and decreasing its recrystallized gain size from 1175 to 6800 grains per sq mm. The mechanism by which these factors are operable in tungsten is not yet clearly understood. Nevertheless, it has become increasingly apparent that the interrelationship of grain size and matrix composition governs to a large extent the degree of low-temperature ductility which can be achieved. Though it is not possible to accurately assess the relative importance of these variables, the available evidence suggests that, at low temperatures, grain-size effects predominate over purity effects. This was indicated in recent studies by Allen, Maykuth, and Jaffee,' involving single crystals containing 20 to 40 ppm 0 and 1 to 30 ppm C. Thus, while each

Jan 1, 1964

By P. D. Merica, H. Scott, R. G. Waltenberg

The remarkable phenomena exhibited by the aluminum alloy known as duralumin were discovered during the years 1903—1911 by A. Wilm1,2 and have been described by him and by others. 3, 4,5.6 The unusual feature of this alloy is the fact, as was shown by Wilm, that it can be hardened quite appreciably by quenching from tempera-

Jan 1, 1921

By S. Leber, R. F. Hehemann

This investigation describes the kinetics of alloying in a (Cb-15 wt pct W. 5 wt pct Mo, 1 wt pct Zr) powder-metallurgy alloy. The degree of homogeneity obtained in hydrostatic ally pressed and vacuum-sintered samples is described by composition distributions resulting from analysis of X-ray dvfraction line profiles. Sintering variables and degvee of powder dispersion were evaluated. The utility of single-value parameters obtained from composition distributions is disaissed. The spatial distribution of composition, as revealed by anodically tinted metallographic sarrzples, was used to provide diffision models based on a concentric-sphere geometry. Diffusion equations developed from these models were found to be in general agreement with experimental results. The powder-metallurgy method for the production of refractory metal alloys has the ability to produce an inherently fine-grained, fabricable structure. The more general use of this method is inhibited, in part, by the presumed difficulty in obtaining homogeneity on a microscale. The degree of homogeneity therefore is an important, but usually neglected, variable in specifying the quality of a powder-metallurgy alloy. Convenient techniques for measuring the degree of homogeneity are now available,' and have been used to develop a model describing the process of alloying in a simple binary mixture.' In this investigation, the process of alloy formation has been studied in a more complex system. PROCEDURE The columbium-based F-48 mixture was prepared from the constituent powders shown in Table I. The particle sizes tabulated were provided by the vendors of the individual powders. Standard laboratory techniques utilizing a jar mill were employed for blending. The blended powders were hydro-pressed into 1-in. diam rods which were then sliced into thin discs for vacuum sintering. All samples were given a preliminary treatment at 1700°C for 2 hr. Varying degrees of homogeneity were obtained using additional treatments at higher temperatures. The degree of homogeneity obtained by a specific sintering treatment was evaluated metallographi-cally using the anodic-tinting technique described by olff,' and quantitatively by the analysis of X-ray diffraction line profiles using the X-ray diffraction technique developed by udman.' The diffraction technique is strictly valid only for binary systems. However, the relatively small difference between the lattice parameters of tungsten and molvbdenum when compared with columbium permitted the treatment of the complex composition of F-48 as a (W, Mo)-Cb pseudobinary. Calculations were weighted in accord with the W-Mo ratio in the F-48 composition. The contribution of the 1 pct Zr was ignored since it could not even be detected in the blended powder. Two factors are required to convert an X-ray line profile into a composition distribution. The variation of these factors with composition is shown in Fig. 1. Curve A was used to convert angular posi-

Jan 1, 1964

Jan 1, 1881

By William B. Senseman

FoR reasons well known to mining engineers, wet grinding is quite universal in plants having to do with the extraction of metallic values from crude ores. In the processing of the nonmetallic and industrial minerals, dry grinding is the more common method. The crude materials usually contain less moisture than is required for wet grinding and the products usually are marketed in dry form; most of them as powders. To grind wet, therefore, would entail the addition of water and an expense for drying the product, which is not justified. Furthermore, the material would be a dried cake that would still have to be pulverized or disintegrated before use. For producing fine products, air separators have largely replaced the earlier practice of sizing with screens and bolting reels. Mills in which the air-separating feature is an integral part of the design are now commonplace. Mill designs are many and air systems have developed along various lines, but for the purpose of this discussion, only the fundamental idea need be emphasized— the idea of using air for sizing and removing pulverized material from a grinding mill. About 20 years ago, when the use of mills equipped with air separation had become common practice, heated air or gas was introduced to such a system for the removal of moisture. The purpose of this discussion is to outline the developments and trends that have followed this experiment. It is an important development, for mills equipped with air separation are now universally used for pulverizing not only nonmetallic and industrial minerals, but a great variety of other materials. All such mills are essentially the same. Dried material is pulverized, removed by an air stream, trapped in a cyclone collector, and relatively clean air from the cyclone is returned through a fan to the mill. There is no theoretical need for a vent from the system. The practical need is to vent the air that leaks into the system; and, since the cyclone is not 100 per cent efficient as a dust collector, this vented air carries some dust with it. The initial attempt at drying was made on a system like that described, by the addition of a furnace. The minus pressure within the mill draws hot gas from the furnace. Infiltration air, along with the drying gases and evaporated moisture, is vented as before. The first application was made to a mill used for pulverizing coal. The coal contained very little moisture, so very little drying effect was needed for the success of this experiment. Actually, some calculated efficiencies of over 100 per cent were obtained before due allowance was made for the conversion of mill power into useful heat. When moisture is low, the heat obtained from the conversion of milt power is an appreciable part of that required. That drying can be effected in the short time interval available in a grinding mill of this type is better understood by visual-

Jan 1, 1948

By D. F. Kaufman, E. D. Levine, L. R. Aronin

The deformation of' impure beryllium crystals by basal glide at room temperature invariably tevminates by basal cleavage after a few percent strain. It is generally accepted that .fracture of this type is caused by the splitting of low) -angle boundaries, or bend planes, by obstacles that restrict the motion of the bed planes in the deforming crystal. The details of such a process have been developed by Stroh, who showed that the high tensile stress norrnal to the basal plane in the region where the bend plane is split results in the propagation of a basal cleavage crack, provided there is no available dejorvrlatzon mode having a shear component normal to the basal plane It has been postulated that puvification of beryllium might lead to increased basal ductility by the vemoval of barviers to bend plane motion and possibly by the activation of nonbasal defor~rlation systems. Large increases in the amount of basal glide that can he sustained prior to fracture have been observed in crystals purified by zone refining. In each case, eventudal fracture was by sharp basal cleavage, suggesting that the split bend plane model still applies to tile fracture of beryllium of rensonably high purity. In the present work, calculations are made to show to what extent basal duetilits can be increased by purification while the split bend plane .fracture process remains applicable. Experimentally observed ductilities are generally somewhat lower than those predicted by calculation because of premature failure due to defects introd~cced during specimen preparation and testing. SEVERAL investigators1-4 have studied the deformation characteristics of beryllium single crystals of commercial purity, and have related the strong anisotropy of plastic deformation in single crystals to the problem of brittleness in polycrystalline beryllium. For most orientations, the principal deformation mode is basal slip, which, at temperatures between 300" and 900°K, begins at a critical resolved shear stress of approximately 1500 g per sq mm and terminates after 3 to 6 pet glide strain by cleavage on the basal plane in the neighborhood of (1120) bend planes that are formed during the deformation. This type of fracture, which is also observed in zinc at low temperatures, has been interpreted by stroh5 to be caused by the splitting of bend planes by obstacles to their motion. In the Stroh model, a (11.20) dislocation wall, or bend plane, moving along the slip direction under the action of the applied stress, encounters obstacles which cause part of the bend plane to be held up, the other part continuing to move. Stress concentrations are built up in the region where the bend plane is split, with a high tensile component normal to the basal plane, resulting in a microcrack at the end of the split wall. Because no deformation mode having a shear component at an angle to the basal plane is available to relieve the stress at the crack tip, the crack can propagate under a sufficiently high applied stress. The Stroh criterion for crack propagation is given by

Jan 1, 1964

By Ross Glanville

INTRODUCTION The Optimum Production Rate (OPR) is one of the most important parameters in the evaluation of a mineral deposit. The OPR can also be expressed as the Optimum Mine Life (OML) in years since the expected mine life is determined by dividing the OPR per year into the estimated ore reserves. Unfortunately, very little time and effort has been directed towards the determination of the OPR. Instead, "rules of thumb" are often applied to select a mine life without due consideration of the economic implications of such a selection. A "justification" for a particular production rate is often based on a pre-conceived arbitrary requirement for a mine life of 5, 10, or 15 years, for example. In this paper it is demonstrated that such arbitrary selections for high-grade/low-tonnage mines (such as many underground gold/silver deposits) often lead to sub-optimal results. In fact, an apparently uneconomic deposit at an arbitrary production rate may be economic at the OPR. Consequently, investment opportunities may be overlooked if one analyzes mine properties based on arbitrary production rates. This paper analyzes the interrelationships of variables such as production rates, capital and operating costs, cut-off grades, discount rates, metal prices, etc. The analysis shows that the OML for high-grade/low-tonnage deposits is often in the range of two to four years. Although such mine lives intuitively appear too short to many individuals, it should be noted that, in the past, much of the mining industry became familiar with the economics of large scale mining operations. The rules of thumb developed for such large scale operations should not be applied to high-grade/low-tonnage mines such as many of the underground gold deposits. DEFINITION OF OPTIMUM PRODUCTION RATE The OPR is selected on the basis of maximizing the net present value of the after-tax cash flows. However, as discussed later in this paper, the production rate selected for a particular mine may be somewhat higher or lower than the theoretical OPR as a result of other variables such as: 1) the probability or expectation of additional reserves being discovered 2) the likelihood of being able to custom mill nearby deposits owned by others 3) the configuration or attitude of the orebody, which may place upper limits on the production rate 4) the residual, or salvage values, of the mine/mill facilities COMPARISON BETWEEN DIFFERENT PRODUCTION RATES For an orebody with definite physical cutoffs*, or boundaries (such as faults or unconformities), the total ore reserves at different production rates may be identical. Consequently, for such an orebody, varying production rates result in differing mine lives. Although the metallurgical recoveries, the mine dilution, and other similar physical parameters may vary slightly at different production rates, the major differences are the capital costs and operating costs per ton. The ramifications of these differences are especially important at low production rates (up to approximately 1000 tons per day), but can also be significant at higher production rates.

Jan 1, 1985

By Alan Morris

SEASON cracking of brass has received wide attention and there is a wealth of technical literature on the subject. Its causes are fairly well understood and means for its prevention are inexpensive and effective, .so that the frequency of failures from this source has diminished of recent years. But its sister phenomenon, the failure of annealed brass by reason of applied tensile stress plus a certain type of corrosion, has received less attention, though it has been responsible for occasional more or less troublesome cases of cracking of brass in service. The work described in the following pages was undertaken about two years ago to determine the relative resistance of various commercial brass mixtures to stress-corrosion cracking, and to learn something of the controlling factors. By stress-corrosion cracking we mean the cracking of brass free- from internal stresses by reason of applied tensile stress and simultaneous attack by certain corrosive agents. Rogers,1 in discussing a paper by Hatfield and Thirkell, says : "He had also applied a solution of mercuric salt to tensile test pieces of brass whilst they were under stress in the testing machine. At very moderate stresses such test pieces cracked, and very readily broke." Moore, Beckinsale and Mallinson2 subjected test pieces to simultane-us corrosion and tensile stress. In order to determine the minimum stress detectable in brass by the mercurous nitrate test, tensile samples were placed under stress and treated with mercurous nitrate solution. They found that brass stressed below a minimum did not crack.

Jan 1, 1930

By Frederick G. Coqueron, Joseph E. Pogue

The purpose of this study is to present the results of a detailed survey of the financial and operating aspects of 30 oil companies comprising a major sample of the American petroleum industry. This review supplements a previous paper entitled "Capital Flow and Capital Formation in the Petroleum Industry, 1934-1941,"a and deals not only with a longer period but also gives new and more revealing analyses of the capital movements and characteristics. The data are gathered from published financial statements of the companies, especially the annual reports to stockholders and Form 10-K to the Securities and Exchange Commission, supplemented by confidential information. The 30 oil companies covered by this study are listed on the leading stock exchanges and for the purpose of analysis are grouped as follows: 9 companiesb engaged principally in crude production, 4 companiesc with production averaging in excess of refinery requirements, and 17 companiesd with refinery throughput in excess of crude production. These samples are sufficiently broad and representative to constitute norms against which individual company performances may be profitably compared. The 30 companies in 1942 produced 54 per cent of the Nation's total output of crude oil and refined 79 per cent of the country's crude run to stills. The financial data apply predominantly to the domestic oil business, although 15 of the companies have investments and operate facilities in foreign countries. The net value of these foreign holdings amounted to 724 million dollars, or 12 per cent, of the combined net assets of the 30 oil companies at December 31, 1942.

Jan 1, 1944

By Harold Markus, Gerhard Derge

THE first paper1 of this series described a technique of careful surface preparation by means of which reproducible results may be obtained from potential measurements of the behavior of tin in carbonate solutions with a pH range from 8.4 to 11.2. It then went on to establish the behavior of pure tin electrodes under these conditions and showed that the metal remains active at all times, though the steady potential attained after several hours decreases from I.I2[t] volts at a pH of 12.6 to 0.6 volts at a pH of 8.4. This behavior may serve as a norm with which all other data can be compared. In the second paper,2 small amounts of other anions were added to the carbonate solutions and the conclusion was reached that the common impurities encountered in alkaline materials packaged in tin do not increase corrosion. In fact, in some cases these anions may actually promote the formation of protective films. The present paper rounds out this survey by presenting data on the influence of cations added to the carbonate solutions, as well as the effect of alloy additions to the tin. In many cases the potential data are supplemented with weight-loss measurements. Information is also presented on the effects of some additional anions, the influence of gases above the electrolyte, the behavior of high-purity tin, and the effect of atmospheric oxidation on the corrosion resistance of the above-named alloys. Analysis of the entire body of data discloses some general rules applicable to corrosion in carbonate solutions. The experimental methods used are the same as those previously described. EXPERIMENTAL DATA Cations.-The carbonates of the cations K+, Li+, NH4+, which are soluble, were studied in the same way as the anions, by adding 0.01 mol of the metal carbonate to one liter of 0.2 M sodium carbonate solution, pH 11.2, or to 0.1 M sodium bicarbonate, pH 8.4. The other metallic carbonates are only slightly soluble, of the order of 0 7-3 mols per liter or less, and the sodium carbonate solutions were saturated by adding excess reagent several days before the experiment, shaking frequently, and filtering just before use. The chemicals were c.p. grade in each case except the indium salt. This salt was prepared by solution of the metal in hydrochloric acid and precipitation by addition of Na2CO3. These cations may be divided into two classes, according to their effect on the potential behavior of the tin: (I) normal, (2) passive. To offer a basis of comparison, curves I of Figs. I and 2 are given to illustrate the behavior of tin in carbonate solutions saturated with CaCO3. These curves are the

Jan 1, 1941

By Edgar Stansfield

ONE of the most striking features of the coal series passing from peat through brown coal, lignite, etc., up to anthracite is the gradual reduction of moisture content with the increased coalification of the original plant material. Thus drained peat from a bog may contain 90 per cent water, brown coal contain 50 per cent, lignite 30 per cent, while a bituminous coal may contain only 1 per cent moisture. Moisture, therefore, is one of the important factors to be considered in coal classification, especially with the lower rank coals. With bituminous and higher rank coals the moisture content is less satisfactory for classification; it may even pass a minimum value and then increase with increasing rank to anthracite and superanthracite. Coal in an undisturbed seam contains moisture which is an integral part of the coal, but it may also be wet with free, underground water percolating through the seam. Only the former must be considered in evaluating the moisture content of the coal for classification purposes; this will be called the "true moisture" of the coal. When the seam is mined and sampled the sample taken may show the true moisture; on the contrary, it may contain in addition free mine water or, especially in dry, well ventilated mines, it may contain less than the true moisture. Coal contains unstable organic compounds which may decompose, with the production of moisture, when the coal is exposed to air at ordinary temperatures, or is heated with or without exposure to air. The potential moisture of a coal therefore is higher than its actual moisture. The lower the rank of the coal, the greater its instability, as a rule, and the greater the care necessary to avoid oxidation or decomposition in any investigation of moisture content. The majority of coal workers have preferred, on account of the difficulty in evaluating the true moisture of a coal, and for other reasons, to classify coals by analyses calculated to the dry-coal basis. A number of workers familiar with lower rank coals have recently insisted that the classification of such coals can be satisfactory only if analyses on the moist-coal basis are employed. The moisture-holding capacity of coal is therefore intimately connected with coal classification, and in this paper a procedure is outlined for determining the true moisture of a coal.

Jan 1, 1932

By H. J. Gluiskoter

The chlorine content of the coals in the Illinois Basin ranges from 0.00% to more than 0.60%. The chlorine content of the Herrin (No. 6) Coal has been mapped on a regional scale and, in general, increases with the depth of the coal. The depth-chlorine correlation exists because the coal is in apparent equilibrium with the composition of the ground water associated with it, and the salinity of the ground water generally increases with depth. At least part of the chlorine can be easily removed from the coal in the laboratory. In a natural weathering experiment, chlorine values decreased markedly during an 8-week period. Results to date indicate that none of the coals studied has a sufficiently high chlorine content to make it unusable in high-temperature steam boilers, although special steps may be necessary in the preparation or utilization of some of the highest chlorine coals. Investigations into the occurrence and distribution of chlorine in Illinois coals have been in progress at the Illinois State Geological Survey for over 35 years. Since 1948, chlorine analyses of face channel samples and of drill core samples of coal have been made routinely. The increased interest in chlorine and alkalies in coal in the U.S. followed that in Europe, where power plants during World War II were called upon to produce at higher levels than previously and with less down time for maintenance. Higher steam temperatures were reached, resulting in increases in the amount of fouling of external heating surfaces and in corrosion of boiler tubes when high chlorine coals were used. Early studies of the problem showed that coals with high chlorine content were more likely than those low in chlorine to cause difficulties in installations fired with powdered fuel. Crossleyl reported that the first rule of thumb developed for British coals was that coals considered to be high in chlorine (more than 0.30%) caused the most trouble, those intermediate in chlorine content (0.15% to 0.30%) were less likely to cause difficulties and those low in chlorine (less than 0.15%) generally were not associated with alkali bonded deposits and corrosion. However, this relatively simple picture was not adequate to characterize the difficulties that could be expected during the utilization of a large number of coals and Crossley1 developed another scheme for assessing the chances of superheater corrosion. This scheme took into consideration the observation that coals high in sulfur as well as chlorine are more likely to cause corrosion and fouling than coals low in sulfur and high in chlorine. Crossley also considered the ash content. When two coals had the same chlorine and sulfur contents, the one with the greater amount of ash would be the less likely to cause difficulties. Knowing only the amount of chlorine in a coal obviously will not give all the answers. Indeed, the significance of the chlorine content has been much discussed and it has been suggested that perhaps the total alkalies are a better indicator of possible troubles. The observation that the deposits that form

Jan 1, 1968

By Ian Wark

IT has been shown1 that in the absence of heavy metal salts, the nature of the alkali used to promote differential flotation-whether caustic soda, lime or sodium carbonate-is unimportant. The hydroxyl ion is the active depressant upon which differentiation depends, and the pH value determines whether a film of collector forms on any given mineral surface. Even when sodium cyanide is used in conjunction with alkalies, it is the pH value and not the nature of the alkali or its concentration that is important, for upon the pH value alone depends the fraction of the added sodium cyanide that is present as cyanide ion, which is the true depressant. When heavy metal salts become dissolved from partly oxidized ores, or are added intentionally as activators, conditions are different, and metallurgists have found that lime and sodium carbonate do not give identical results, even when added in amounts sufficient to produce the same pH value. In the few instances in which we had attempted to confirm this view, we had failed to do so, for, with nothing to guide us, we had inadvertently chosen solutions that gave contact curves of a "stand-ard type," which correspond to conditions of ready floatability. Now, however, we find that, in the presence of copper salts, and within a restricted range of reagent concentrations, the nature of the anions present is important, and that sodium carbonate does influence the results, apart from the usual effect due to its influence on pH value. With the recognition of this anion effect, and with the control of temperature already introduced,' it appears that the factors of major importance in connection with this set of reagents have been taken into consideration, and that the results obtained and the conclusions drawn from contact tests will be of more immediate value to the operator.

Jan 1, 1939

By Kjell Lidin, Christer Nordström

INTRODUCTION LKAB produces iron ore in several mines in northern Sweden, and has been doing so for nearly 100 years. Total production to date is 600 million tonnes of finished products of various kinds (pellets, lump ore, fines). Close to 400 million tonnes have been produced by sublevel caving. This method has been the company's standard method for more than 20 years. A review of the development of equipment over the past 15 years and an outlook up to about 1990 leads to the following general re- flections concerning probable trends. Trends for all equipment are increasing precision and stricter environmental requirements will necessitate cabs, remote control etc to an increasing extent. Conventional sublevel caving can be broken down into the following unit operations: 1. Planning incl prospecting drilling. 2. Horizontal drilling. 3. Fan drilling. 4. Charging and blasting. 5. Loading and haulage at sublevels. 6. Ore drawing in chutes. 7. Rock reinforcement. 8. Production service. This lecture will deal in brief with each of these unit operations and the trends we are experiencing for them. A number of slides illustrating equipment

Jan 1, 1981

By R. H. Hawkins

AN investigation of the applicability of geophysical methods to north-ern Ontario lignite deposits was undertaken early in 1930 by the Ontario Research Foundation at the request of the Ontario Department of Mines TABLE 1.-Formations Associated with Moose River Basin Maximum System Formation Lithology Observed Correlation Thickness, Ft. Pleistocene Marine clays 150 Glacial till (Minimum Interglacial 30) clay and peat Glacial till Lower Cretaceous or Mattagami Fireclay, sand 138 Kootenay (?) Upper Jurassic. and lignite Devonian (Upper) Long Rapids Petroliferous, 50 Portage and black and gray Genesee shale Williams Limestone and 87 Tully (?) Island calcareous shale Devonian (Middle).... Abitibi River Gray fossiliferous 65 Onondaga limestone Devonian (Lower) ?... Moose Rive- Limestone and 50 gypsum Devonian (Loner) Sextant Arkose, clay, etc. 50 Pre-Cambrian Syenite, granite gneiss, etc. Igneous intrusives. . Lamprophyre dikes cut the Abitibi River and lower formations. (Permission of Ontario Dept. of Mines) and was financed in part from a research grant made by the latter organ-ization. The work to date has included gravitational, magnetic and electrical resistivity studies. The gravitational and magnetic measure-

Jan 1, 1933